12. Conclusion

This chapter closes the book with a reflection on the SACO arrangement, its subsequent modifications, and the propaganda needed to obscure from public view the bureaucratic processes and actions that had set the arrangement into motion. Discussion includes consideration of how the processes at work in Okinawa reflect developmental projects now underway across many parts of the world where neoliberalization policies are enacted. The chapter introduces a brief discussion of Socratic dialogues that focus on the responsibilities of the individual in society and the demands that citizenship puts on the people who must remain conscious and engaged in the interest of maintaining a functional democracy in the face of threats.